Gardening

The cold acts as a natural curb on the spread of plant pests and diseases. Slugs are less active and fungal spores will be less likely to spread

Fionnuala Fallon: Only maincrop potato varieties, such as Golden Wonder, are suitable for storing over winter

Deciduous trees and shrubs are paragons of good planning and preparedness

Fionnuala Fallon: Homegrown sweet pea is one of the great joys of the summer garden

As planting season begins in earnest, consider looking beyond the obvious for spring-flowering bulbs

Fionnuala Fallon: As charming as their arboreal acrobatics might be to watch, grey squirrels can be a real problem in Irish gardens

Éanna Ní Lamhna on white-tailed bumblebees, red latticed stinkhorns and – more stink – green shield bugs

With 45 years as an organic market gardener under his belt, Charles Dowding has a feast of knowledge to share in his new book Compost

Fionnuala Fallon: Autumn is an excellent time to collect the ripe seed of most trees

Easy-to-handle mower does not require the laying of guide wires to manage your weekly lawn care

Give an apple a light flick with your finger and listen. And scratch the surface of a lemon with your fingernail

The long-lasting feathers of ornamental grasses are one of their greatest charms

Ireland and Munster star enjoys tending to his 2,000sq ft garden when not in the ruck. But will his green fingers grow beyond a hobby?

‘It has been displaying a blighting appearance for the past few years’

The long, autumunal shadows herald the season of mucky fingers, hard physical work and great joy

A cat might be the best form of defence against the likely rodent culprits

Since I repotted it into a bigger pot, its bottom leaves have started to droop and fall off

The days may be shorter and darker, but there are still vivid pleasures to be found in the garden, from roses to doughty hawthorn and holly

There are simple things you can do to discourage them without resorting to harmful and often ineffective insecticides

What the daisy family, Asteraceae, have in common is daisy-shaped flowers and ability to feed bees, butterflies, hoverflies and many other pollinating insects

Raymond Higgins grows champion-level potatoes from his allotments near Blarney in Cork

Fionnuala Fallon: Use of peat is gradually being phased out due to EU targets to mitigate climate change, support biodiversity, and protect wetlands

Canterbury bells, Sweet William, foxgloves and wallflowers are among my favourite flowers

After returning from a week away, the freshly composted areas were thriving with tiny nettle plants

I am avoiding chemical weedkillers for environmental reasons

If you have a polytunnel or glasshouse, August is also the month to sow seeds of a variety of delicious crops to keep it well stocked over winter

While Irish summer weather may not be ideal for the beach or a barbeque, it can be just right for taking care of jobs around the house

Fionnuala Fallon Q&A: Much to my dismay the soil was dug up in my raised bed in various spots and the blocking material was torn. Every night, the same thing

A home for native wildflowers isn’t always easy to cultivate, but careful planning makes for fun and magical results

Helping plants thrive in uneven conditions can be tricky but there are solutions

This is a common pest in many Irish gardens but can be managed

There’s a range of plants ideal to keep in the home that can withstand ranging temperatures, poor light and even serious neglect

Have the wet spring and summer disrupted your gardening plans? You’re in good company

Creating a beautiful garden means constantly reappraising and reassessing with a view to the future

Edible, organically grown flowers offer goodness for the body as well as a spectacle for the eyes

Fionnuala Fallon: Their numbers are best controlled by leaving them alone for their natural predators to consume

What I Do: Shane Hollywood is head gardener at Birr Castle

‘Generation rent’ are increasingly drawn to the pleasure - and pain - of growing house plants. After all, they’re a lot easier to bring with you if you have to move house

A rich perfume is an intoxicating draw for wildlife and humans alike

Fionnuala Fallon: If it’s any consolation, my own young plants also flowered very poorly this year